OCCUPIED WEST BANK — Press TV has vehemently condemned the organised, illegal, and aggressive abduction of its West Bank correspondent, Naqaa Hamed, by Israeli occupation forces, describing the act as a deliberate terrorist operation aimed at silencing the truth.
Hamed, a prominent, educated Palestinian-American journalist and mother of three, was arbitrarily abducted on September 15, 2026, while travelling with her media team near the Tuqu’ settlement southeast of Bethlehem. Israeli forces stopped the vehicle, forced the journalists to sit on the ground for 45 minutes, separated Hamed for interrogation regarding her reporting, and confiscated her laptop and mobile phone before transferring her to an undisclosed detention facility. An Israeli occupation court has already extended her detention until September 23.
A Systematic Campaign of Intimidation
The abduction is not an isolated incident but the culmination of a continuous, targeted campaign of intimidation and life-threatening violence against the courageous reporter.
In December 2025, Israeli forces directly fired rubber bullets at Hamed during a live broadcast from the Qalandia refugee camp. She was injured again by stun grenades and tear gas in August 2026. Following these physical assaults, the Zionist regime and its affiliated cyber mercenaries launched a vicious smear campaign in late August, baselessly labelling her an “agent of propaganda” to manufacture a pretext for this criminal kidnapping.
Blatant Violations of International Law
In a powerful statement, Press TV reminded the international community that the Zionist regime’s savage behaviour constitutes an unforgivable violation of fundamental international law.
The network cited Article 79 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions, which guarantees full immunity for civilian journalists in conflict zones, as well as UN Security Council Resolutions 2222 and 1738 regarding the protection of media personnel.
Despite Hamed’s American citizenship, the US Embassy in occupied Al-Quds has completely ignored repeated pleas from her family, further exposing Washington’s complicity in the occupation’s crimes. Meanwhile, Israeli media outlets have amplified baseless allegations of “espionage” without a shred of evidence.
Global Outcry and Defiance
The brazen kidnapping has sparked international backlash. In Italy, a lawmaker has officially filed a parliamentary question demanding answers regarding the abduction of Hamed. The Italian journalists’ union has also strongly condemned the act, highlighting the Zionist regime’s deliberate and systematic targeting of reporters covering its crimes in the occupied territories.
Political analysts note that the Zionist security machine’s desperate attempts to block the flow of free information only prove their deep fear of independent journalists who expose their widespread humanitarian atrocities and the realities of Palestinian steadfastness.
Press TV has placed full legal responsibility for Hamed’s physical and mental well-being on the occupying Israeli army, vowing to relentlessly pursue legal and international action until her unconditional release and the accountability of the perpetrators.
“As long as responsible institutions remain in a shell of silence and inaction, Naqaa Hamed will not be the first, nor the last, journalist to be targeted,” the network declared. “But everyone will see that under any circumstances, the chains of authoritarian regimes will not prevent the echo of the voice of truth.”
Reference: PressTv
